Pluralistic: Good politics (22 Jun 2026)
President Lula pushed through a 40-hour, five-day workweek in Brazil, ending the 6x1 system for millions. The bill passed 461-19 as even opponents feared opposing it. The article celebrates this "good politics" of tangible improvements to people's lives.
Background
- Cory Doctorow is a prominent tech journalist, science fiction author, and activist (author of "Enshittification") who writes Pluralistic, a widely-read blog about technology, politics, and digital rights.
- Lula (Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva) is Brazil's current president. His Workers' Party is a left-wing party. He was imprisoned on corruption charges (widely seen as politically motivated) in 2018, which allowed far-right Jair Bolsonaro to win. Lula was later freed, defeated Bolsonaro in 2022, and Bolsonaro was later convicted for attempting a coup.
- Brazil's "escala 6×1" system forces many workers to work six days a week with only one day off — a remnant of the country's 1964-1985 military dictatorship. Lula's proposed 40-hour/five-day workweek is a direct and popular challenge to that legacy.
- The piece contrasts Lula's "deliverism" (policies that tangibly improve ordinary lives) with UK PM Keir Starmer's Labour government, which won a huge 2024 majority but has pursued austerity, outsourced NHS data to Palantir, and failed to materially improve living conditions — proving that winning elections isn't the same as doing good politics.